A Life Less Ordinary
by Alien Shadow Girls
Summary: An old fanfic, stemming from canon before chapter 237. Future!Ichigo reminisces about strange love stories.


[Note: This was a story I wrote way back in 2006, probably before chapter 237, in what was possibly the first Ichigo/Orihime fanfiction contest. These days, I think it's rather terrible (it was my first story that I had to write solo), but I decided to upload it here for completion's sake. I dedicate this story to Kumagoro Usagi, for being the other person to win the contest. Fun times. I hope you'll enjoy it as well, and rest assured I'll be uploading something more decent in the future.]

Disclaimer: Kubo Taito owns all Bleach characters. They are not mine, nor do I reap any monetary profit from them.

* * *

**A Life Less Ordinary

* * *

**

Ichigo wondered if it had ever occurred to him at the age of sixteen that 15 years later he would end up sitting at the edge of a river bank trying to write a love story.

Well, it can't be that hard, he inwardly reasoned. People write love stories all the time. Most of the time, though, it was crap that involved some balmy night, a lost maiden and a handsome stranger or something that will cost only a meal as a paperback. What he needed was a cool, crazy love story. That, or he will kill his editor tomorrow, and use the material for a murder mystery instead. For now, he cussed out loud at the river, the nice shady tree he was sitting under, and the quiet, deserted road behind him. Well, damn it, why did he have to write a sappy love story when he was already a regular columnist for at least 3 weekly features? Because, he reasoned, you want the feature editor position and you think you could prove it if you just write a good story for the valentine special.

Breathe, he thought, you're just not getting this right. You just need to start it. Start the love story. Start with... How does one start a love story anyway? Ichigo picked up a stick and threw it into the river. It's not like he didn't fall in love back then. How did it start? Was it the moment she fell for him? Him for her? He'll never know the answer to the earlier question, but he sure could remember when he started falling in love. How could he forget when Orihime confessed to him right in the murky depths of Hueco Mundo?

* * *

He can remember right down to the warm feel of the blood flowing over his face.

"Inoue Orihime, " he rasped, "Even if you break off my mask, you'll never bring him back."

"I know, Kurosaki-kun," she smiled sadly as she touched the side of his face, "but that's not what I came here for."

He spat, not bothering to hide the contempt he had for her. Why, she was just like Ichigo to be so weak. Coming here to Hueco Mundo just for him? It was the most fitting place for him, after all. He was powerful enough to keep even the Adjucas at bay, a world where the powerful trod on the corpses of the weak, where he didn't have to rein in his instinct, his thirst for blood. All that was keeping him from snapping her pretty little neck was her puny shield and vain curiosity. Plus the fact that, unlike all that he had encountered, she was standing before him with an expression of the utmost serenity, no matter how he snarled or threatened her. She even had the audacity of attacking his mask, making him bleed before it regenerated back. Why, not even half of a Cero would be enough to -

"Kurosaki-kun, we don't have time. They're coming." She turned her back to him, watching the darkness in the distance. His nostrils flared. Aizen's army! 'Tch, they must've finally picked him out from all the other Vastrodes just because this human had come here. He lashed his tail behind him in irritation. An arrancar or two was nothing, but an entire squad can overrun him. Either he kill her now and make a break for it or...

"Let's get out of here, Kurosaki-kun." It took only an instant for her, and it was as if Hueco Mundo had fragmented, and they were falling through the cracks. The sensation of falling unnerved even him, scrambling all of his senses, and it was enough of an opening for her to get close enough to grasp the edges of his mask. "There's not enough time for the both of us to make it," She whispered, for even as the surroundings warped, the darkness was reaching for them, reaching inexplicably, the ghostly pale arms of a hundred menos elongating towards them, and she was the one pushing him away, keeping him out of their reach. He hadn't even voiced his surprise yet, when she broke his mask once again, and she looked straight into his eyes. "I came here to tell you two things, Kurosaki-kun," he floundered in his confusion, torn between listening to her and summoning enough power to blast away the offending menos appendages surrounding them, she continued,"One is that I love you, Kurosaki-kun, and the other is that no matter what you are, or what you become, you will always be Kurosaki-kun to me."

"What?" He gasped, and she kissed him, and even then everything about him crumbled away, the hollow layer dissolving along with the confusion. In a blink she was letting go of him, and he was falling away from the sky while the menos closed in on her. He couldn't even scream at the sudden noise that pounded in his ears, as the crack in the sky disappeared and he was plummeting down to earth deafened from the sound of his own heart pounding.

* * *

Well, fuck that, Ichigo thought as his hands shook a little from the memory. He hadn't told anyone what happened in Hueco Mundo after that, not even Rukia, not even Chad, though Chad seemed to already know just by seeing the look in his eyes and how he had screamed at the first sight of the sky upon waking.

He didn't say anything even when they met Orihime again in the midst of the battle, attacking them from the other side, and her eyes completely unreadable. He didn't, couldn't say a single thing even after it was all over, and all he could do was hug her in the aftermath, too overwhelmed to say anything.

"Kurosaki-kun, we'll be able to go back to school again," she remarked, grinning widely, even as the tears threatened to spill, "and watch TV shows, and stay up late and cram our homework and..." He only gave her a tight squeeze and blurted out a faint "Yeah."

Okay, it had been an incredibly messy start, and months passed before they all got over the whole surreal thing and settled back to being normal students. Well, as normal as they could get. He still had to slay the occasional hollow despite Soul Society's promise to keep the job relegated to actual shinigami. Seeing her again in their classroom was awkward as all hell, and after a lot of fumbled attempts, she managed to ask him out on a weekend. He asked her out the week after. Keigo (and Mizuiro, probably) spread some rumors and Chizuru tried to poison him. Like normal teenagers.

* * *

I must've fallen in love in the wrong order or something, Ichigo doodled lazily on the paper he was supposed to be outlining the story on. Who was that guy who said it, something about love that should grow quietly, then being tested in times of adversity. What do you do when the whole 'adversity' thing came first? What happened after that? High school ended, and college separated most of them. Ishida, Orihime, and Chad were the first ones that had to leave, all of them getting scholarships outside of Karakura. Shortly after she started, Orihime, and pretty much everyone else, wrote to him:

Dear Kurosaki-kun, I never knew a scholarship could be so much fun! I get a free dorm room and food and more money for books and stuff. But I'm saving some so I could buy a small TV, I don't get to watch all my favorite shows anymore. Tatsuki-chan tells me she's gonna inherit her dad's dojo, so she's only attending college for the Judo team. Oh, and Ishida-kun is in the same university as me! I ran into him, but we don't have any class in common. It's such a big place. I have weird classmates, Kurosaki-kun. All of them. Oh, and TV time in the dormitory is starting soon, so I'll send this to you now. Inoue Orihime.

Ichigo, I am studying biology at this address. Sado Yasutora.

Inoue, I have been having the weirdest time in my life. Why? My dad never actually planned to let me go to college, the crazy bastard, would you believe that? So I've been planning to get some work and pay my own way through it, but then a letter from Occhi-sensei arrived. Turns out she submitted my English term paper (the one about Shakespeare) to some universities, and now I'm attending a course in Foreign Literature. It's better than nothing but, I have never been so out of place in my whole life. My classmates are all either geeks worse than Ishida or morons with rich dads who have nothing else to do with their lives. I think I scared them all pretty badly the first day I attended. But at least I also get a lot of stuff for free, though I still took a part-time job to save money just in case. I still live in Karakura, and Tatsuki gives her regards. Why are your classmates all weird? And you didn't tell me what course you've been taking. Kurosaki Ichigo. PS. Chad wrote me a letter with only one line in it. Maybe I should give him a camera. If he can't think of anything to say, he can just ask someone to take pictures of him so I can just figure out what goes on. What do you think?

Kurosaki, I am only writing to you because Inoue-san insisted, don't get me wrong. And I can't believe a thug like you could end up studying Foreign Literature. I'm taking up Business Management and Fashion Design. Inoue-san hasn't told me what she's taking, and I heard Sado-kun is still deciding on whether he'll go to med school or just become a vet. What happened to the band he was in? Any news from Kuchiki-san and the rest? Not that I care about Soul Society or anything. On second thought, perhaps you'd really fare better studying English because your Kanji reading skills suck. Ishida Uryuu

Ishida, you're an obnoxious freak, did you know that? Just in case you didn't know either, my kanji reading skills are fine, and I'm gonna switch to journalism as soon as I put in enough good grades for a recommendation. No way in hell am I gonna live in a dusty university library forever. I shudder to think about what ideas you have for people's clothes when you graduate. Sado still plays with his band on weekends, I think, he sent me a postcard of a live stage somewhere. No news from Rukia, except for the occasional rookie shinigami asking for autographs. Sometimes on a sketch by Rukia. How they manage to stomach lugging around those things is beyond me. Unless she's discovered the joys of the photocopying machine. You get to see Orihime occasionally, right? Tell me if she does something... destructive or other. Some days I feel paranoid, and Tatsuki does too, but don't tell her that. Kurosaki Ichigo.

Dear Kurosaki-kun, I can't tell you yet what course I'm taking because it's top secret. Uh-huh, that's what our sensei told us. On our first day he even said: Someday, perhaps the very fate of the world will lie in your hands. It's so cool. I can give you a hint though: It's like when Tatsuki-chan and I used to play basesoccer. She kicks the ball and vooooooom! But when it hits, you can't send it back like I used to. Instead you have to split into two like psssssh, then you, the two of you send it to four more, and then they all do the same thing. But that's if it goes over a certain number. But it all happens so fast it just goes KABOOOOOM! My classmates are all weird because they can't speak Japanese properly. Love lots, Inoue Orihime. PS. Sado-kun could use a camera. Tell him to take pictures of stuff floating in jars that look like aliens.

After that, he had e-mailed Ishida in a fit of panic.

Ishida, this is an emergency. I am enclosing a copy of Orihime's letter. If you understand, tell me what it means, or I'll ask Chad. Tatsuki is also very worried. I want you to investigate what course Orihime's taking. I'll even pay you if you want. Kurosaki Ichigo.

Kurosaki, I don't understand it either. You don't have to pay me. For Inoue-san's sake, I will look into the matter immediately. Ishida Uryuu.

Chad, please explain Orihime's letter to me. We're very worried that she's gotten herself into some foreign terrorist armed group or something. Please tell me I'm wrong. Kurosaki Ichigo.

Ichigo, she's taking Nuclear Physics. Sado Yasutora.

He received a phone call from Ishida:

"Kurosaki? I just found out what course Inoue-san's been taking. It's -"

"Nuclear Physics, I know."

"Sado-kun told you? How did he know?"

"Apparently it was an explanation of something called fission. Anyway, I'm fine now, just a little surprised, that's all. Who would've thought?"

"Well, true. But I've also got wind of another matter. Inoue-san's in a lot of trouble recently, and she's under a lot of pressure. She might not want to tell anyone else. How soon can you and Arisawa-san get here?"

"What? What the hell's wrong? Is she hurt?"

"Well, not physically. She's not telling me stuff either, but I can tell she's been crying."

"I'm gonna call Tatsuki as soon as you hang up. How's tomorrow at noon? Where do you want to meet?"

"There's this cafe I'm sure I can drag her over to during lunch, the address is-"

* * *

Tatsuki didn't even need convincing. At lunch time, the next day, the two of them arrived at the cafe near the University that Ishida and Inoue have been attending. The latter were both sitting sedately in a lone booth. Orihime turned in shock as the two of them simply barged into the cafe doors calling her, but she burst into tears as soon as Tatsuki embraced her. Ichigo touched her shoulder and looked at Ishida, frowning. "What went wrong?"

"It's pretty much because of this letter, but I learned much more when I asked around."

"Well, tell us." Tatsuki grated, all the while trying to soothe Orihime by patting her on the back. They sat down on one side of the booth, Ichigo and Ishida across them. Orihime nodded while she sobbed, and Ishida sighed. "It's her classmates. Remember why she told you that none of her classmates can't seem to speak properly when talking to her? It's coz they're all otaku geeks who's never talked to an actual pretty female all their lives."

Tatsuki blinked while Ichigo snarled, "What the hell does that have to do with this? Did they talk to her improperly or what?"

Ishida waved a dismissive arm. "It's not just that. You see, when the exam scores came in a few days ago, their professor and the higher ups were sufficiently shocked to discover that out of their class, only Orihime passed, with a score considerably well above the class average."

Ichigo and Tatsuki looked puzzled. Orihime calmed down and looked at her hands while Ishida continued. "Now, I talked to their professor, and he supposes that the entire class, composed of only males except Inoue-san, flunked the exam because they were... too distracted. It might have been a simple matter of adjusting the class average if it wasn't for the fact that Inoue-san got an almost perfect score. Now, someone had spread the rumor that perhaps Inoue-san achieved such because she had been sleeping with her professor."

"WHAT?" Ichigo roared, nearly shaking the table and causing the other customers to look at them. "Who the fuck did this?"

Orihime sniffled, but placed a hand on his. "That's not important, Kurosaki-kun. People always do that."

Ichigo looked at her worriedly but sat down again. "Well, if it was just a rumor, then what happened?"

"The higher-ups got wind of the rumor because it seemed true due to the test scores. They then sent this letter, " Ishida threw an envelope onto the table, and Tatsuki opened it, "stating that, they would nullify her scholarship unless Inoue-san would transfer to another course, preferably those that would mean no contact from anyone with the Physics department. They even went as far as making her go through a physical examination and checking her test handwriting. It all came through to verify her innocence, but they would rather not have a repeat of the fiasco. It also seems that the rumor was spread because Inoue-san rejected some overtures made by her classmates."

Ichigo's eyes narrowed, but Orihime shook her head. "It's ok, Kurosaki-kun. I get that all the time. And now I just have to choose another course, that's all."

"But, Ino- Orihime, you wanted to study in this one, right? They shouldn't take that away from you." Tatsuki agreed, "Yeah, why did you want to study Nuclear Physics in the first place?"

Orihime smiled sheepishly, wiping the last of her tears away, "I just wanted to work with an electromagnetic cyclotron someday. You know those gigantic round things they dig into the ground where you can shoot particles at each other?" She waved her hands around to demonstrate, "I thought it would be cool, it'll be like working at a secret lab and making mini-explosions all day long. But then I realized, what if I make a mistake and press the wrong button? The world might just go BOOM! and it'll be my fault." Orihime finished gravely.

Ishida, Tatsuki and Ichigo all exchanged looks, and finally smiled. Tatsuki held up the cafe menu, "Well, we could all help you choose a course where you can't destroy the world, but first, I think a giant chocolate sundae or two would be appropriate." Orihime's answering grin practically lit up the cafe.

It took them all afternoon but, Ichigo supposed, it was well worth it. Even Ishida abandoned going to his classes for the day just to hang out with them, crammed behind Orihime while she looked at the University's list of courses on a computer. Orihime had first enthusiastically pointed at electronics, no doubt with the idea of building her own gundam mecha someday, but Tatsuki remarked that it would be pretty much the same with Physics, since the two overlapped curriculums. "It'll be populated with the same geeks, I swear," Tatsuki bristled, while Uryuu commented that not all geeks were like that, and there might be some girls in there too. Ichigo stated that it might be out of the question since it is still technically a branch of physics.

"Maybe we ought to keep those robots fictional," Ichigo tapped the screen at the category called Design. Orihime looked at the list of related courses. "Architecture?" she quipped, but both Tatsuki and Ichigo balked at the idea of Orihime designing bridges and skyscrapers. "More like fine arts," Tatsuki suggested, "You're creative, Inoue, or should I say, random." Ishida interrupted, "Perhaps Inoue-san can take the same course that I'm taking." Everyone agreed unanimously, this time. Orihime chose Fashion Design and Clothing Technology. Ichigo pointed out that there was a Modelling course and maybe she could take that too, "That'll be a no brainer. Maybe a little bit like finishing school." Ishida frowned, "You're not gonna lump Inoue-san along with those type of girls, are you?"

"Of course not! But I just meant that she could use that too, and I know she's smart enough not to get taken advantage of."

Orihime blinked, "But I can't model, Kurosaki-kun. I'm too clumsy and.."

"What the hell are you talking about?" Ichigo placed a hand on Orihime's head while he peered closer at the monitor, absentmindedly ruffling her hair, "Poise can be learned, and you can do that easily enough. And you're really beautiful, Orihime. You should know that."

Orihime reddened and the others lapsed into an awkward silence. Ichigo inspected the screen without noticing the interval. "See? I think you can take all three and it'll be fine."

"Uh, I-I guess, I'll try." Orihime stammered a little. Then she blinked and pumped up a fist, "Hai! There's no harm unless you try! Gambarimasu!" Tatsuki laughed.

"Gambatte!"

And that was that.

* * *

Ishida left soon after that, then both Ichigo and Tatsuki accompanied Orihime to her dormitory. Tatsuki gave her a tight hug goodbye, and Ichigo awkwardly did the same, although just as earnest. The two left shortly before dark for Karakura.

"Hmmm-hmm." Tatsuki hummed.

"What?"

"You're not worried?"

"Of course I am. But I trust her enough not to hover around constantly."

"I meant... Well, you being this far away from her and everything. You don't think anyone could just steal her away? I mean, there are plenty of other guys there, including Ishida."

Ichigo sighed and closed his eyes. "I believe in Orihime." She loves me. Enough to find me even in Hueco Mundo. "And I don't think Ishida would try something that he has no hope of winning."

"Heh. You sound pretty confident."

"I'm only telling it as it is."

"I can't believe you're trying to sound all 'perceptive' on me." Tatsuki teased. "Like I'd take that from you."

"Ah? What the hell does that mean?"

"I'm not the dense idiot who couldn't figure out that the prettiest girl in school's got a huge crush on him since first year."

"I thought she was just weird!"

"Oh, come on," Tatsuki elbowed him, "Tell me how she confessed."

Ichigo paused. "She didn't tell you?"

"Well," Tatsuki shrugged, "You know how she tells a story. It was something about monsters and other dimensions, so I didn't really get it."

Ichigo reddened. "Like hell I will." It surprised him that Orihime wouldn't mind talking about how crazy she had almost sacrificed herself for him, and in such a lighthearted manner. It seemed so simple and sure for her.

"Tatsuki," he said, wondering if she had any idea how it plagues him sometimes, "Sometimes I don't know, though, if I could reciprocate all that," he forced himself to say it, "love she has for me. For everyone else too."

To his surprise, Tatsuki laughed out loud.

"What the fuck are you laughing for?"

"Baka. You sure don't get it do you?" She gave him a thump on the back with her palm. "You just be yourself, Ichigo. You're the one who's got so much love for everyone. Even if you don't realize. It's almost heroic."

"I don't get it."

"We all wouldn't have been here for Orihime today if it weren't for you. What else would you call that?"

* * *

He would suppose that it was probably true, after all the times that people insisted for him. The fact that he might have loved her before he even knew it, the fact that he did love all of his friends to a certain fervent point without knowing. Not that he would say it out loud but, it was comforting to know whenever he remembered his hollow self telling him that he was nothing but a monster. Monsters don't have the capacity to love.

He managed to graduate from Journalism in good time. The job was competitive, cutthroat and somewhat unpredictable, which was fine for him. Plus, he wasn't cocooned in an office for much of a day, and could even slay hollows when needed. He settled in a tiny apartment closer to work after a while. Karin and Yuzu were still finishing high school, and he visited as much as he can.

Chad sent him pictures every month. Sometimes it was a dissected cadaver, a dorm room with his band, stuff floating in jars, an amphitheater of people screaming, and the occasional living squirrel. He never questioned how Chad chooses which things to take pictures of, because it was Chad. He would send some to Orihime, and she would always be delighted. Those two thought alike in odd ways.

Ishida graduated at the top of his class, as always, and worked for a while under some prominent brand. Orihime modelled, successfully, it seemed, but her letters talked more about her other jobs because, Orihime never could find another model that was interesting to talk to. "I don't understand them, Kurosaki-kun," She wrote. He never understood how successful she was until he walked into the street one day and was greeted by a giant billboard of her. He almost got run over by a pack of bicycles. And then Orihime called him to say that she wanted to partially quit modelling, because she and Ishida were opening their own boutique uptown. Ichigo attended the opening and wrote an article about it after he admitted that some of Ishida's designs were good. Some. As long as it didn't involve capes.

Once, Ishida called him in panic. Orihime had gone missing, because she was supposed to be applying for a driver's license. When he paged her at the licensing center, she wasn't there. They had an important client to meet. Ichigo thought for a moment, and instead went to a port where they issued licenses to drivers specializing in operating heavy machinery. Ichigo and a transportation official had to explain to her that, unless she qualified and employed by the proper contractor, she can't be allowed to have a professional license for driving trucks, cranes and submersible oil rigs. Orihime was a little disappointed, but had already recovered by the time Ichigo calmed a fretting Ishida on the phone.

He asked Ishida about Orihime's work. Sometimes, Ishida told him, she would submit a sketch of a robot or something to their seamstresses. The first time it had happened they had complained to him, and he made the poor excuse of asking them to just 'simulate' the boxy effect using puffed sleeves, wire or other. When the runway show featured the said 'design' coming down the catwalk in a creation of flared skirts and puffy sleeves in flowery glory, it was a hit. Ishida never asked if it was an accident or a prank or a deliberate action on Orihime's part. Ichigo wondered too.

* * *

Orihime asked him out to a dinner date. They had been going out with each other for a while, whenever there was free time, or they made time. So when she asked him out, he made sure to keep everything in check. It was a formal dinner, the first time she'd ever asked him too, and a place that he could rarely afford. A night among snobbish elite, he didn't mind, as long as Orihime was with him to quietly poke fun at them.

It was raining that night. The maitre'd glared at Ichigo as he stepped into the restaurant. Ichigo spent about five minutes arguing with the man, who obviously hated him from the first sight of his orange hair, that he had an invitation from Inoue Orihime. It wasn't until Orihime appeared by the doorway to vouch for her guest, that the man blanched and started proffering apologies. They were offered one of the best tables and a prompt waiter for the inconvenience.

Then the lights blacked out. Ichigo heard a shot, then tables and chairs overturning. Women screamed. He heard Orihime cry out as someone pushed past her, then he was pinned to a wall by the neck. He flailed, but something cold and metallic was shoved into his hand. The lights flickered back on. He blinked in confusion -

"Kurosaki-kun?" Orihime looked at him wide-eyed. Across him was a man seated, slumped over and bleeding onto a tabletop. A customer grabbed a chair and hurled it at him. Ichigo dropped the gun and ducked, but the waiters leapt on him and restrained him. Someone called the police.

Orihime quietly pleaded for him while he cursed and insisted on his innocence. The policemen came in a patrol car to arrest him and investigate the place. As they led him out in handcuffs, Ichigo heard Orihime mutter, "Tsubaki. Kotenzanshun!" An explosion reverberated behind him, and his restraints broke. Orihime grabbed him and they swerved to an alley behind the restaurant. "Go!" He yelled, and the officers opened fire. The rain masked them as Ichigo and Orihime sped through the alley and ran into another. Orihime tore the hem off the pretty dress she was wearing. Then they heard the simultaneous start of several sirens, and they ran away from the sound. They ran along a dark road, and it wasn't until Ichigo heard water splashing loudly that he realized they were on a bridge. They kept running until he realized that the more sirens were coming from the other side.

He stopped running, as the sirens closed in. He turned to Orihime, gasping beside him. "I didn't fire that gun."

Orihime looked up at him, "I believe you, Kurosaki-kun."

"There's no way out now." He shrugged.

"We could jump, Kurosaki-kun." Orihime pointed. Though the river raged under them because of the rain, it rounded a sandy embankment in the distance that they could swim to.

"We might not make it!"

"One last try, Kurosaki-kun." Ichigo tore his gaze from the water to look at her.

She stood before him in the rain, the wind violently lashing her hair around her shoulders, "Let's get out of here, Kurosaki-kun."

He felt the world spin a little, vertigo mixed with deja vu. He laced his fingers through hers, and prepared to jump, "Ok. I trust you." As they did, Ichigo realized, that he would never, ever be truly prepared for the feeling of falling. Through the turbulent sky, into the water, breaking the surface in a flurry of bubbles.

They reached the sandy, shallow bank, collapsing on the shore. Ichigo gasped, coughing out murky water and clasping Orihime close. "I'm sorry," he apologized tearfully. "I don't know what went wrong. You shouldn't have had to do that. Now they'll come after you too."

"I don't mind that, Kurosaki-kun." She laid her head on his chest. "I don't care if I have to run like this everyday as long as I'm with you."

Ichigo frowned sadly, then threaded his fingers through her hair. "Yeah. If it's with you, I guess I wouldn't mind."

"Really, Kurosaki-kun?" Orihime got up and crawled closer to him, wet hair trailing down to his face. "Every day?"

"Orihime, what do you mean?" Orihime scrambled upright, and waved her arms as if signalling to somebody. Ichigo sat up, puzzled.

To his surprise, a dead man walked out of the bushes nearby. He was the man in the restaurant who had been shot, the blood still spattered on his dinner jacket. He walked over to Orihime and handed her something, too small for Ichigo to make out. Then the man walked away. "What the fuck is going on?" Ichigo demanded, confused.

"You just stay there, Kurosaki-kun." Orihime warned, then without further ado, dropped down to one knee in front of him. Ichigo looked at her, head buzzing with questions, heart throbbing loudly in his ears. She opened a tiny black box and something sparkled in the dark.

"Will you marry me, Kurosaki-kun?"

For the first time in many years, Kurosaki Ichigo laughed out loud underneath the rain. Then he cried. He cupped her face to him and kissed her, as deeply and as hard as he could. So much so that he could only gasp a "Yes" when they stopped for air. She clumsily slid the ring onto his finger while he stood there in embarrassment, scolding her a bit for beating him to it. She giggled, saying that she couldn't help it, even though he had been saving for a ring for more than a year now. He warned her that it didn't mean that he'll be the one to wear the wedding dress. She looked at him with wide eyes and blushed. She bit her lip, "But you'll wear it for me in private, right?"

Ichigo gaped at her.

* * *

Ichigo looked at the mess of doodles he had created. So much for writing a story. All he ended up doing was reminisce. He could type up the past, exchange some locations for others, change names and stuff. He'll bet a week's wages his editor would just reject it saying "This can't be realistic at all" or something. He checked his watch and was surprised to find that it was already 4 pm. It was time.

He brushed himself off, tucking the notebook into a backpack and walked back to the dusty highway. The place looked deceptively remote from civilization. That usually made it one of his favorite places to write stuff, and well, she liked coming here too just to show off.

The roar in the distance shook him out of his reverie, and Ichigo steeled himself for a sight that never ceased to both frighten and fascinate him. The red Jaguar convertible sped down the dirt road in a cloud of dust. A sudden screech of brakes, then the tires screamed as the car swerved and seemed to slid out of control. But Ichigo knew better.

She spun the car into the best semblance of automotive ballet he had ever seen. The furious, smoking red blurred into a heady 360-degree, a flag of light brown hair fluttering in its midst. Ichigo stayed in his place even as it skidded towards him. The car slowed to a perfect stop beside him, dusting his shoes.

"Need a ride, Ichigo-kun?" Orihime asked him, hair perfectly tousled around her head, albeit a little dusty.

"What the hell was that for?" Ichigo scowled, "That was irresponsible, careless and downright dangerous!"

Orihime couldn't help smiling widely, "And how did you like it, Ichigo-kun?"

"It was fucking glorious. But please, don't ever show it to the kids." Ichigo opened the side door and let himself in.

"Oh, but school lets out at 4, right?" Orihime gasped, "Do you think we can make it before they start crying?"

"I don't doubt that you can but," Ichigo made sure to strap himself in, "It's Judo practice today. You don't have to burn out your tires to make it there until 5."

"They're new threads." Orihime said proudly, tapping the steering wheel. "You look adorable today, Ichigo-kun." She reached over and gave him a peck on the cheek. Then pulled out a blade of grass from his hair.

"Feh, don't tease. Didn't anyone tell you to keep your eyes on the road?"

"We're not even moving yet, Ichigo."

"You know what? I'll teach them how to drive when they get older. Cooking too."

Her laughter sprinkled the air during the slow, lazy drive into the sunset. Ichigo decided, to hell with his editor.


End file.
